Unravelling the mystery of Egypt's Karnak Temple: Ancient complex was built 4,000 years ago as a place of worship for the supreme and powerful god Amun-Ra, study reveals
Egypt's Karnak Temple must be one of the ancient world's most magnificent wonders. Located about 300 miles south of capital Cairo, the UNESCO World Heritage site welcomes millions of tourists every year. It's described as Ancient Egypt's most important religious complex, but the origins of the site has long been a mystery – until now.Scientists at the University of Southampton have carried out the most comprehensive geoarchaeological survey of the Karnak Temple.They say it was built some 4,000 years ago by a group of elites as a place of worship for the supreme and powerful god Amun-Ra.This merged deity, worshipped throughout Egypt, was at the time a newly-created fusion of the 'invisible' god of the air Amun and the sun god Ra. Study author Dr Ben Pennington, an archaeologist at the University of Southampton, called Karnak the 'most important temple' in the north African country. 'This new research provides unprecedented detail on the evolution of Karnak Temple, from a small island to one of the defining institutions of Ancient Egypt,' he said. Karnak Temple (pictured) is a UNESCO World Heritage site welcoming millions of tourists every year - but its original date of occupation has long been unclear It is Ancient Egypt's most important religious complex, but the earliest occupation of the site has long been subject to debate. Pictured, mighty columns at KarnakEgypt's Karnak Temple comprises a vast mix of individual temples, pylons, chapels and other buildings in the form of a village or 'complex'. The stunning structures made of sandstone, limestone and granite spread across 200 acres and are 'extremely well preserved', Dr Pennington said. Archaeological investigations have been ongoing at the site for about 150 years, but the age of earliest occupation has long been debated. To learn more, Dr Pennington and colleagues analysed 61 sediment cores and tens of thousands of ceramic fragments from within and around the temple site. This allowed them to map out how the landscape around the site changed throughout its history and gather new evidence about the age of Karnak Temple. According to the team, led by archaeologist Dr Angus Graham at Uppsala University in Sweden, the site would have been unsuitable for permanent occupation before about 2520 BC as it would've been regularly flooded by fast-flowing water from the Nile.Instead, the researchers estimate the earliest occupation at Karnak would have likely been during the Old Kingdom (c.2591–2152 BC), a result of evolving river channels. Ceramic fragments found at the site corroborate this finding, with the earliest dating from sometime between c.2305 to 1980 BC. Egypt's Karnak Temple is located about 300 miles south of capital Cairo and very close to the River Nile. This map also shows the location with the Red Sea to the east Pictured, landscape reconstruction at Karnak: a) beginning of the Middle Kingdom (1980 BC); b) end of the Middle Kingdom (1760 BC); c) start of the New Kingdom (1539 BC); d) middle of the New Kingdom (1350 BC); e) end of the Third Intermediate Period (664 BC); f ) end of the Macedonian/Ptolemaic period (30 BC) Pictured, core samples - roughly cylindrical pieces of subsurface material - being extracted from the ground at Karnak The Karnak Temple Egypt's Karnak Temple is a vast collection of ancient structures built 4,000 years ago by the River Nile. Located about 300 miles south of capital Cairo, the UNESCO World Heritage site welcomes millions of tourists every year. It's described as Ancient Egypt's most important religious complex, built as a dedication to the supreme and powerful god Amun-Ra. According to the experts, their findings settle a 'hotly contested' debate surrounding Karnak Temple's earliest occupation and construction. 'There have been two main competing arguments – first that the temple may have been of a very early age, around 3000 BC,' Dr Pennington told the Daily Mail. 'And the second that it probably dated later, to the First Intermediate period or perhaps just before, about 2000 BC. 'We have found that an earlier date is not viable and the later date is supported by the evidence.' Karnak Temple is located less than half a mile (500 metres) east of the present-day River Nile near Luxor, at the Ancient Egyptian religious capital of Thebes, just over from the famous Valley of the Kings. Researchers say the land on which it was founded was formed when river channels cut into their beds to the west and east, creating an island of elevated ground surrounded by water. This emerging island, slightly higher than the surrounding land, would have been an apt choice in that it was likely linked to its religious significance. Ancient Egyptian texts of the Old Kingdom say that the creator god Amun-Ra manifested as high ground, emerging from 'the lake'. The stunning structures made of sandstone, limestone and granite spread across 200 acres and are 'extremely well preserved', Dr Pennington said Over subsequent centuries and millennia, the river channels either side of the site diverged further, creating more space for the temple complex to develop. Read More Mystery of The Great Sphinx DEEPENS as top geologist tears apart mainstream thinking The new study, published in the journal Antiquity, summarizes the evolution of Karnak as 'from a small island to one of the defining institutions of Ancient Egypt'. 'Activity there demonstrates a coupling between the natural environment and the religious, functional and constructional aspects of the temple,' authors conclude. 'As at other places in the Nile Valley, the natural riverine landscapes at Karnak appear strongly connected to cultural dynamics. 'They can be linked to the religious and cosmogonical views of the inhabitants, who also opportunistically adapted to changes in their physical environment.' The team are now planning and carrying out work at other major sites in the area, to further understand the landscapes and waterscapes of the whole Ancient Egyptian religious capital zone. WHAT IS EGYPT'S VALLEY OF THE KINGS? The Valley of the Kings in upper Egypt is one of the country's main tourist attractions and is the famous burial ground of many deceased pharaohs.It is located near the ancient city of Luxor on the banks of the river Nile in eastern Egypt - 300 miles (500km) away from the pyramids of Giza, near Cairo.The majority of the pharaohs of the 18th to 20th dynasties, who ruled from 1550 to 1069 BC, rested in the tombs which were cut into the local rock.The royal tombs are decorated with scenes from Egyptian mythology and give clues as to the beliefs and funerary rituals of the period. The majority of the pharaohs of the 18th to 20th dynasties, who ruled from 1550 to 1069 BC, rested in the tombs which were cut into the local rock. Pictured are statues of goddesses at the siteAlmost all of the tombs were opened and looted centuries ago, but the sites still give an idea of the opulence and power of the Pharaohs.The most famous pharaoh at the site is Tutankhamun, whose tomb was discovered in 1922.Preserved to this day, in the tomb are original decorations of sacred imagery from, among others, the Book of Gates or the Book of Caverns.These are among the most important funeral texts found on the walls of ancient Egyptian tombs. The Valley of the Kings in upper Egypt is one of the country's main tourist attractions. The most famous pharaoh at the site is Tutankhamun, whose tomb was discovered in 1922
